124 MR. H. WILDE ON THE 



of the infinitesimals involved in a centre of rotation^ still 

 less is it capable of comprehending the mode of union of 

 the unknowable essences on which the physical qualities 

 of chemical substances^ after combination^ depend. 

 Philosophical chemists^ I apprehend, will hereafter be able 

 to refer the origin of the theory of the composite structure 

 of matter, after chemical union, to the influence of ideas 

 derived principally from the mechanical mixtures employed 

 in pharmacy and in the culinary art. 



In the present hypothesis it is assumed that a mass of 

 hydrogen, of a curvilinear form, acquired a motion of 

 rotation about a central point, which caused it to take a 

 spiral or convolute form. As each successive spiral or 

 convolution was formed, the particles of hydrogen com- 

 bined with themselves as far as the septenary combination, 

 to constitute the type of each group of elements — the 

 number of types or groups being equal to the number of 

 convolutions of the rotating gas. According to this view, 

 the elementary groups may be represented as forms of Hw, 

 Hm, H3W, H4W, H5W, H6w, Hyn; the internal convolu- 

 tions forming the highest type Hjn, and the outer con- 

 volution the type H/i. That on a further condensation 

 of the elementary matter a transition from the spiral to 

 the annular form occurred, during or after which the 

 group or species under each type was generated in con- 

 centric zones and in the order of their atomic weights, 

 until the highest member of each species was formed. 

 That as the elementary vapours began to condense, or 

 assume the liquid form, their regular stratification would 

 be disturbed by eruptions of the imprisoned vapours 

 from the interior of the rotating mass. This disturbance 

 would be further augmented by the subsequent combina- 

 tion of the negative with the positive elements, and also 

 by the variable solubility of their newly formed com- 



